An Elixir of Illusion
by Heart Of The Wizard
Summary: [complete] Walter starts drinking and shows a totally different side of himself, but only to Drake. Contains Abuse & Selfinflicted cutting. No slash, sex, or profanity. R
1. I'm Not Gonna Hurt You

**Title: **I'm Not Gonna Hurt You - Chapter 1

**Rating:** PG-13

**Summary: **Walter starts drinking and shows a totally different side of himself, but only to Drake. Contains Abuse & Self-inflicted cutting. No slash, sex, or profanity. R&R

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Drake Parker, Josh Nichols, Walter, Audrey, Meghan, or any of the other characters from Drake & Josh. I'd _love_ to own everything/everyone from Drake & Josh...but that's not gonna happen anytime soon, so I credit the shows rightful owner(s).

**A/N: **I am a big fan of people being abused in fanfics for some reason, and when I heard Walter say (in episode two), "I'm not gonna hurt you," an idea popped into my head, and this story will be the result of those five seemingly harmless words. I will accept any form of reviews (suggestions, constructive criticism, corrections, etc)! P.S. I'm really sorry if basically all the characters are _out_ of character, but I just simply can't let them be their normal humorous selves or this fic won't work.

_I'm Not Gonna Hurt You - _chapter one

He loved the bitter smell of the strong-tasting liquid. He loved the way it caught his throat on fire. It made him forget everything he wanted to forget, and it made him live the way he always wanted to live. Many at the bar were addicted to it. Walter was not one of them, or so he said. The problem was, the bartender only allowed ten glasses. He wanted more. No, he _needed_ more. Throwing the fifty bucks on the counter, Walter quickly left the building, got in his car, and drove to the closest Package store.

To him, and every other alcoholic, walking into that store was like walking into Heaven. They had every brand of liquor in every type of color. Not to mention the entire store was crammed left and right with the expensive bottles. Selecting two crimson jugs (the two together were large enough to last a month) Walter walked to the front, taking out his wallet to pay.

"I'll need to see some I.D.," A bulky man who looked like he hadn't shaved in months said in a deep voice. Nodding, Walter took out his license, cringing at his picture. He had never been good at posing for pictures, and this photo showed it.

"You're that weatherman my wife watches! Believe me, when you're on, I can't even pull her away from the TV. She's been wondering where you've been, are you on a break?"

"No, I was fired. They replaced me," Walter had learned very quickly that it was better to talk slower and use shorter sentences to hide the slur caused from the alcohol.

"You don't say! They probably got some brainless beginner; I just know that my wife doesn't like watching the weather any more," the bulky man chuckled, "Well, have a good night!"

Saying a quick thank you, Walter took the two paper bags and carried them out to his car. He couldn't stand it anymore; the thirst for the liquor was intoxicating. Opening the bottle as fast as he could, Walter poured some into his Styrofoam cup that had held his coffee that morning. Breathing in the beautiful aroma, he lifted the cup to his lips. He made sure that he took small sips, so he could relish the taste.

Glancing at his watch, Walter saw that it was already ten, and almost everybody would be asleep at the Nichols/Parker residence. Gulping down the rest of the contents in the cup, he turned the car on and started his long journey home.

He knew he had to pay special attention to his driving, and make sure his tires didn't hit the line dividing the lanes more than twice. But it was getting harder and harder to stay focused; his mind kept wandering off to how rich the liquor looked. Then he would slowly start turning his head away from the road to see if he could get just one small sip, but he'd always end up crossing over to the other lane. Pulling over, Walter took out the bottle he had opened. Making sure no one was coming; he took off the top and took a few gulps of the liquid. Replacing the top, he put the jug back in the bag, and started driving again.

It was nearly eleven when Walter finally stepped through the door of his home, and he noticed (with relief) that no one appeared to be awake. Walking into the kitchen, he put the two bottles on the top shelf of a cabinet that was empty. Clearly pleased with himself, Walter went into the living room, and chewed on a few pieces of gum, hoping to conceal the smell. He heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and quickly spit out the cinnamon flavored gum.

"Walter?" A voice called out from the entrance.

"Hey Drake," Walter focused on keeping his voice steady, and quiet.

"Where were you? Mom was getting really worried," Concern traced Drake's every word.

Walter chuckled, "No need to worry about me! I was just driving around town, enjoying the peace and quiet." Drake walked over to the couch and sat down in the chair, his eyebrow raised.

"You've been driving around town enjoying the peace and quiet almost every night? What's really going on?" Walter could feel his heart beating faster. _Does Drake know?_ He asked himself, panicking.

"N-nothing, Drake. Just go on to bed, it's late, and you need your sleep."

"If something's going on, I want to know about it! You're not…cheating on mom are you?" Walter heard the fear in Drake's voice.

"No. I just drive around, so mind your own business," As much as Walter tried to stop the anger and annoyance growing inside him, he couldn't.

Suddenly, Drake grimaced. He knew what Walter was doing; he was all too familiar with that smell by now.

"You're drinking, aren't you?" Getting no response, Drake stood up and sat on the end of the couch, and asked quietly, "Aren't you?" Walter's silence was enough of an answer.

Sighing in frustration, Drake stood as far away from the couch as he could, a lesson he had learned at a young age.

"Why? Why are you drinking? Are you _trying_ to hurt my mom or have you already forgotten why she left her first husband?" Rage crept into the question shouted by the teen.

"Keep your voice down! And so what? A few drinks never killed anyone!"

"Why?" Was all that Drake could whisper.

Standing up from his place on the couch, Walter slowly began walking towards Drake.

"You have _no_ idea how hard it's been for me! First to lose my wife, and then have to move to a completely different city, while selling everything that ever belonged to her just to _move_ here! Then I get a great job, wonderful family. Yes, that parts nice. But that's not how it ends! I lose my job. That's how it ends. That's how it's all going to end! No one will hire me, because all I've been is a _weatherman_! So tell me why I don't deserve a few _harmless_ drinks!" By the end of his tirade, Walter was shouting and breathing hard, his face red with anger. But this didn't scare Drake; he got right back into his 'new' father's face.

"Because! Those _few_ drinks are NOT harmless! They kill-" Drake didn't even have time to finish the sentence when he felt himself being knocked to the side, his cheek stung with pain. Eyes wide in surprise, Drake raised a hand to his cheek that now had the red mark of a handprint on it.

Walter's eyes widened in shock at his actions for a moment, but were soon narrowed in anger.

"That's what you get, you selfish brat! For once, stop thinking about YOURSELF!" At that, Walter stomped out of the room and up the stairs.

Drake clenched his fists to try to calm his trembling, a wave of fear passed over him. Finally the trembling ceased and Drake tiptoed to his bedroom that he and his brother shared. As he lay down in his bed, he shut his eyes and forced himself to go to sleep.

That night he had the same nightmares he had had back when his mother was still with his first father, all night he tossed and turned, groaned and whimpered. Towards dawn, when his nightmares slowly came to an end, a tear rolled down the side of his face.

TBC


	2. A Desire to Escape

**A/N: **I was so amazed at the reviews I got! Thank you all so much! Well, I'm gonna answer a question of my own. Drake does not call Walter 'Dad' because, first, I still think that's kind of weird, second, this is based on a few weeks after the second episode and at the time he totally did not want a new dad and barely a new brother. Now, second question and this is for you guys. I have always written Drake's sisters name like "Megan" but I've been reading a lot of fanfics where they call her "Meghan", so does anybody know which one it is? Thank you all for reviewing, it meant a lot to me! And I must also thank my best friend for coming up with this chapter two title and the title of the story! So thanks Morg!

**Disclaimer: **No…I still don't own Drake & Josh; even if I did do you really think I'd be writing on here when I could be writing for money?

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_A Desire to Escape – _chapter two

It had been days since the _incident_ with Walter, and Drake had basically forgotten about it. But what he had not forgotten about was the stupid end of the year tests. Even Meghan wasn't constantly pulling pranks on the two brothers, because she also was studying hard.

"I'll see you later, a friend of mine needs some help studying for tomorrows tests, so we're going the library," Josh grabbed his school bag and left the house, leaving Drake lying lazily on the couch.

Hearing his stomach growl, Drake walked into the kitchen for a quick bite to eat. He started opening all the cabinets but so far couldn't find anything sweet, opening the last cabinet Drake stared in shock at the four bottles of Livingstone's Blush Chablis lying on the top shelf of the empty cabinet. Drake couldn't believe what he saw. Grabbing the bottles, he started pouring them out in the sink in anger.

"What are you doing?" A voice asked behind Drake. The voice made him stop immediately, eyes widened. Carefully putting the thin bottles in the sink, he slowly turned around, putting on a fake smile.

"N-nothing! What would I be doing?" Drake said in a cheerful tone.

He tried very hard not to wince as Walter stepped closer. There was a crazy look in Walter's eyes, and Drake didn't like it.

Walter took another step forward, and Drake involuntarily stepped back, his back hitting the edge of the sink.

"It appears that you're pouring out my Chablis, but I know a smart boy like yourself would _never_ do that," Drake couldn't tell what Walter was up to, his expression was unreadable.

"Oh, you m-mean these old t-things?" He tried his best not to stutter.

"Yes, I m-mean those old t-things," Walter mocked, but not in a friendly way.

Drake felt like a caged animal, his eyes racing back and forth between the two kitchen doors, trying to come up with a way to get out.

"I know what you're thinking, boy. It's written in your eyes. You can't get out, I won't let you," That tone had a dangerous edge to it, Drake tried to suppress a shudder that shook his whole body.

This was too much; Drake had never wanted to feel this way again. To feel so vulnerable and over powered. Fear took over his mind, causing him to slowly panic and feel silly at the same time.

Walter stepped forward again.

And that's when Drake took the chance to catch Walter off guard, and run for the door. Relief washed over him as he ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his room. As soon as he got in his room he locked the door and ran to the window.

He had to get out. Those five words were repeated over and over again.

A knocking on his door made Drake's blood run cold. He looked outside his window, he knew it would hurt if he fell the wrong way but was willing to risk it.

'_Thank God Meghan's not home,_' Drake thought to himself. And then he jumped.

As he landed on his feet (which immediately gave way) a feeling of relaxation sped through him. Lying down on the grass, he calmed himself down after what had just happened. He was safe, not for long, but safe for the time being.

Standing up, he unlocked the fence and walked out into the front yard just in time to see his mother pull up, with Meghan in the backseat.

Drake had never smiled so much, even when he was kissed by a girl he didn't smile as much as he did now. He knew his mother would protect him, she always had.

Helping her carry the groceries in, Drake passed by a very cheerful Walter, or so it would appear. But Drake saw deeper than the happiness, he could see frustration hidden deep in those eyes.

"Meghan, how was school?" Walter asked. Meghan put on her 'good-little-girl' smile.

"It was great, daddy! The teacher said I'm the best in class,"

Walter's grin widened, "Of course you are, sweetheart!"

"How about you, Drake?" Audrey asked, putting away the milk.

"It was fine, boring as usual."

"Well, you better be studying for those tests or no getting your drivers license!" She said sharply. Drake nodded, "I am, mom."

Sighing, she threw away the last grocery bag, "Go get cleaned up for supper, Hunny."

Drake slowly walked up the stairs, only aware of his step-dad's presence when he reached the top. Turning around quickly he almost ran into the man.

"That stunt you pulled today was _not_ amusing, and you better not try it again. Because next time I'll catch you," To prove his point he pushed Drake away from him, causing the teen to fall on his back.

With one final glare, Walter walked back down the stairs. And Drake could hear him chatting in his usual, but now known as fake, cheerful tone. Drake couldn't help the shiver that went up his spine when he thought about what Walter had said. He knew the man was serious, he had heard it before, and he wasn't going to provoke Walter.

Sick to his stomach, Drake walked to the bathroom and leaned over the toilet. He retched everything he had eaten today until his stomach settled and he could get up without gagging.

Looking at his appearance in the mirror, he was shocked. He had bags under his eyes, and he looked like he had lost a ton of weight. Throwing some water on his face to make him look a little more awake, Drake got ready to go eat dinner.

He made a promise to himself. Next time Walter hit him, he would tell Josh. He could count on Josh, because they were brothers.

Smiling to himself, Drake walked back downstairs.

TBC


	3. Suspicions

**A/N: **I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! I sort of lost track of how this story would go, and dwelled on it for a few days. Then a lot of other stuff has happened since then that has prolonged me from working on this story (I went to a Drake concert! He is sooooo hot!). But I'm here! And thanks to AlisonLydon for telling me it's 'Megan'! Thanks! And thanks to my wonderful reviewers:  
**Vaughnrocks, .?.?.?.?.?.?., jhhhhjfjk89, Arwen, bloody brandy, AlisonLydon, Kelli, Ace, Nova-chan, Haylie, Gingerrogersforever, A Twisted Smile, Elayna Fournier, IloveJesseMcCartney55, and Ids Chick! **

**Disclaimer: **nope, drake & josh still aren't mine. They belong to nickelodeon.

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_Suspicions –_ chapter three 

Drake's happiness quickly vanished as he sat beside Walter at the small dinner table. _What if Josh didn't believe him? _Was the thought that plagued the teens mind.

'_Why would he believe me? Josh loves his dad, more than anything in the world. I could never get him to believe me.'_

"Drake? What's wrong?" Audrey asked when she saw him staring at his plate. Drake glanced up at her, and let a small smile cross his face.

"Nothing, mom, just thinking about tomorrow's tests," Drake said, and went back to eating his fried rice.

"Have you been studying?" A stern expression falling over her face, as she passed Megan the cornbread.

"Er...kinda…"

"Drake Parker! Get upstairs now, and start studying!" Drake rolled his eyes, but did not disobey. He got up from the table and slowly trudged up the stairs.

Of course, when he got to his room he didn't study. Drake study? The idea was laughable! Instead he sat on his bed, and just sat there thinking. He jumped when he heard his bedroom door being thrown open.

In walked Josh Nichols, soaked to the bone, with a scowl on his round face. His curly hair was matted to his forehead, and his clothes were baggier than they should've been.

"Go for a swim?" Drake asked, clearly amused. If anything, this just angered Josh more.

"As if! That new _weatherman_ said it'd be sunny all day, well guess he was wrong," Josh spat. Taking off his soaked jacket, he grabbed a few clothes and stomped out of the room to the bathroom.

Chuckling, Drake grabbed his guitar and started to come up with a tune. It wasn't long before there was a knock at his door, and he quickly placed the guitar down.

"Drake, can I come in?" Drake froze at the sound of the voice.

"Uh...s-sure," Drake cursed himself for stuttering.

'_Stay calm, nothings going to happen. Josh is home. Megan is home. Mom is home. You're safe.'_

Walter opened the door, and walked in. He looked no different than he had earlier that day, except his expression was slightly different.

"Why are you here? I'll scream if-" Walter held his hand up for silence.

"No, Drake. I'm here to talk. Just talk," Walter sat down on Drake's couch, Drake doing the same.

Walter noticed the distrust hidden in those brown eyes, and knew he was the one to put that suspicion there.

"I want to say, that I'm very sorry for-"

"Dad?" Walter sighed when he heard Josh's voice from the doorway.

"Josh, can Drake and I have a moment? Please?" Josh frowned at his father, but nodded and left.

"As I was saying, I'm very sorry for letting my anger get the best of me. I should never have let things go so far. I want you to know that I will try and stop drinking, because I don't want my son afraid of me. I've been a horrible father, can you forgive me?"

Drake Parker was speechless. He stared at the man before him for a minute, not knowing whether to believe him or say 'Nice try'. But the more he stared into the mans eyes, he began to notice the sincerity in what he had just said. Drake turned away from Walter, and stared at the floor, tears filling his eyes.

"I can't." Came Drake's weak response. Standing up, rage flashed through Walter's eyes.

"Fine! I'm sorry, I asked for forgiveness, when there's obviously nothing to forgive. I will not be wasting your time again!" And at that, Walter left, making sure he slammed the door loudly enough to make Drake flinch.

Drake stayed on the couch for a long time, wondering why he had said what he said. Why couldn't he just forgive Walter, and get past it?

"So what were you and dad talking about?" Josh's voice broke through Drake's thoughts.

"Nothing, Josh. Just...stuff."

"What kind of _stuff_?"

"I just said nothing! So back off!" Josh was surprised at his brother's reaction, but didn't let it go.

"What's wrong with you? For these last few days you've been acting weird, so 'fess up," Josh demanded, sitting beside Drake on the couch. Sighing, Drake got up from the couch and went to his bed.

"No, I'm not going to 'fess up' because there is nothing to 'fess up', so will you please just leave it alone?" Josh heard the faint desperation in his brother's voice, and knew something was wrong.

"Drake, you'd tell me if something's going on, wouldn't you?" Josh saw his brother look away when he asked this. "Drake? You would, right?"

"Of course, Josh. But like I said, nothing's going on, I'm just tired. I think I'm going to get to sleep early tonight, I don't want to fall asleep at school tomorrow," Drake threw the covers over himself and went to sleep fairly fast.

Josh didn't know what was going on, but he was going to get to the bottom of it. Nothing ever affected his brother, so whatever was happening wasn't good. Jumping into bed also, Josh slowly fell into an uneasy sleep.

As soon as Drake heard his brother's snores, he sat up in bed and put his jacket on. It was well past midnight, and Drake knew no one would be awake at this hour, so he slid into his shoes and tiptoed down the hall and then down the stairs.

Grabbing his mother's keys from the kitchen, he suddenly stopped when he heard a sound in the garage. It sounded like a car starting up. Running to the garage, Drake slowly opened the back door when he heard the car pull out of the driveway. Getting into his mother's car, he started pulling out as soon as he saw Walter's car stop at the four-way crossing. He was determined to know where Walter went at night, and this was his only chance at finding out.

As he made his was to the four-way crossing, he saw Walter's car turn right at the next crossing. Picking up speed, Drake also turned right. He silently prayed that he'd be able to find his way back home before Walter, because nothing around him looked familiar.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Walter stopped in front of _Brigadoon Pub_, and walked inside. Also parking, Drake got out and started for the entrance when a hand on his shoulder stopped him from moving.

Drake turned around, expecting a cop or someone like that. So he was quite shocked when he saw a gang instead, made up often guys looking like they could beat the crap out of you and get away with it. Drake started backing up, hoping to get inside the pub, but the hand on his shoulder jerked him forward. Two of the ten stepped behind him, and the leader let go of Drake's shoulder, and grabbed a fistful of Drake's hair.

"What'cha doin' out here, pretty boy?" The last part was spat out.

"I-I was just leaving-"

"Not on my watch. Got any money?" Drake didn't have a chance to respond when suddenly the two behind him began searching him for money or anything worth something. They grabbed his wallet and pulled out two twenties, and handed it over to their leader.

"I say we give him a night he won't soon forget, Marcus," A muscular guy from the back said with a smirk, while clenching his fists.

"Marcus, can I call you Marcus? I didn't come to cause any trouble, if you let me go I promise I'll never come here again," Drake pleaded,

"No, you can not call me Marcus. It's Mr. DeOved to you, filth," And in the blink of an eye, Drake was doubled over clutching his stomach.

"Don't like that, pretty boy? Well, it's more than you're worth! He's all yours, guys," And at that each of the ten gang members kicked and punched Drake, until he was on the ground pleading.

After they all had their turn, the leader, Marcus, came up to Drake again, and gave the teen a swift kick in the side. Drake closed his eyes expecting more, but when he opened them again the gang was gone. The only traces of them being there at all was the wallet laying on the ground, and Drake hurting from head to toe.

Gathering up all his strength, he slowly got back in his mother's car and started the engine. He thanked God that he had remembered the way home. As soon as he got in the house, he slowly limped up the stairs to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror as he had done just hours ago. Those hours seemed like an eternity ago now.

He had blood covering his face and arms, and he knew at least two ribs were either very badly bruised or possibly broken. His legs hurt horribly, and he knew there had to be tons of bruises hidden beneath his pant legs.

Drake wondered how he would explain the black eye and split lip to his parents in the morning, without saying that he had went driving at midnight and ran into a gang. He knew Walter would automatically know that he had followed him to the bar if he said that.

Taking a quick shower to wash away the blood, Drake put on pajamas and climbed into bed. Just as he was falling asleep, he heard Walter pull into the garage. Lying on his back, Drake fell asleep to his brother's snores, trying to ignore the pain.


	4. No Longer Brothers

**A/N: **I've made this chapter slightly longer, by request, so I'm sorry if it just seems to drag on. The Walter abuse is coming soon, just working through the story and leading up to that now! I wrote this a few days ago, but have been too busy to put it up. But it's up now!

**Thanks to my wonderful 3rd chapter reviews (every review is so special to me!):  
**Kitty-Witty-Kate  
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Nova-chan: No, I went to the Duluth, GA one. I'm sorry you didn't win the tickets L  
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Just A Fan  
Viral Experiment: Isn't it a scary thought? mwahahahahahaaa

**Disclaimer: **Yep. I own Drake & Josh.

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_No Longer Brothers –_ chapter four 

Hours after falling asleep, Drake was awoken by a tapping on his arm. Forcing his eye lids open, he rubbed his tired eyes awake. Glancing at the clock beside his bed, he was deeply annoyed to see that it was only four in the morning. Drake then noticed his brother sitting on the edge of his bed, concern evident.

"May I help you?" Drake asked.

"What happened to you?" Josh replied, turning on the lamp beside Drake's bed.

Drake winced at the sudden brightness that hurt his eyes. Closing them, he thought about what Josh just asked. At first he didn't have a clue as to what Josh was talking about...but then Drake remembered. He didn't want to remember it, but the constant pain in his side filled him with memories.

"Oh! That! Yeah...well...I woke up like this. So I must have been sleepwalking..."

'_As if he's going to believe that._'

"Sleepwalking...?"

"Yeah, sleepwalking. Ever heard of it? It's when you walk...in your sleep..." Drake couldn't help the aggravation that leaked through his voice.

"You don't say!" Josh said in mock disbelief.

"Seriously! Now would you _please_ let me get some sleep? Tests are in a few hours, and I for one would like to be well rested," He snapped, turning off the lamp, and laying back down.

Josh stood up from the bed, lip curled. "You're right! Who cares if you look like you were just beaten to _death_! Certainly not me!" At that Josh jumped off the ladder, from Drake's bed, and stomped to his own.

Drake was almost back to sleep when he heard Josh mumble, "Maybe you'll fail and be kept back a grade...at least then I won't have to see your face in class, too."

000000000000000000

Alarms suck. Especially when they wake you up, and you haven't gotten any sleep at all.

Drake Parker was an alarm hater. He'd much rather have his mom shriek his name from the bottom of the stairs than have that blasted alarm go off.

Grabbing his clothes, he slowly made his way to the bathroom. He decided to take a shower to wake himself up, even though he'd just taken a shower hours ago. The nice warm water beating on him instantly woke him up, but in a much better way than the clock had.

After he'd gotten himself ready for school, he carefully walked down the stairs, mindful of his ribs, and went into the kitchen. Josh was sitting at the table, and glanced up when Drake entered. They glared at each other until Audrey asked Drake what he wanted for breakfast.

Seating himself across from Josh, Drake ate his cereal silently.

"I'll take you two to school. Walter already took Megan," Audrey offered, but Drake shook his head.

"That's alright mom, I'll just ask Alec to drive me to sch-"

"Feel you're too good to sit in a car with me, now?" Josh asked bitterly.

"Yeah, I'm much too good to sit near someone as-" Drake didn't finish the sentence. He didn't want to. Josh was his brother, why were they arguing? Did they even have a reason or was it because Drake had been in a bad mood?

"Well? Go on, say it! You don't want to be near someone as what? As _fat_ as me? Is that it?" Josh retorted.

"BOYS!" The two instantly shut up.

"Drake, go call Alec before he leaves for school. Josh, come with me."

Drake walked over to the phone and dialed Alec's cell, while Josh followed his mom into the living room.

"Now, what's going on, Josh?" Audrey asked.

"I don't know! Drake's been acting...funny lately." Josh replied.

"Funny?"

"Yeah, he's been really moody lately."

"I'll talk with him, Josh. Just get in the car, I'll be there in a second," Audrey said, and walked back into the kitchen.

"He said he'll be here soon," Drake said as soon as she entered.

As Audrey sat across from her son, she looked at him. She saw things she hadn't seen before.

"Drake, did you and Josh get in a fight?" Drake's eyes widened and he looked away.

"W-Why do you say that?"

"Well, the black eye and split lip was a dead giveaway. What's going on?" She asked, her voice soft and soothing.

"No, we didn't get in a fight. I um...must have been sleepwalking again-" at this, Audrey gazed at him suspiciously, "- and I wish people would stop asking me what's going on! Nothing is going on. I've just been a little stressed about today's test, that's all!"

She was startled by the heat in his words. She knew he wasn't simply stressed, there was something else that had him on the edge, but Audrey didn't want to push him.

There was a loud honk outside, and Drake stood up rather fast. Grabbing his book bag, Drake hugged his mom and left.

Minutes later, Audrey got into her car and drove Josh to school, unaware of the drops of blood on her seat.

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That day at lunch, Drake sat alone. He wasn't use to it; he'd always been so popular.

He was overjoyed when he saw Josh looking for a table to sit at, but that joy was quickly demolished when he heard a guy behind him say, "Josh! Over here!"

As Josh walked by, he heard him mumble loud enough for only Drake to hear, "Wouldn't want to sit with the 'Great Drake', might embarrass him."

Sighing, Drake rested his head on top of his hands. Today was not turning out very good, maybe he should just tell Josh everything. Torn between choosing whether or not to tell Josh, the bell rang and Drake walked to class thankful that some of the pain in his side had vanished.

Drake noted that Josh made sure he sat a good distance away from Drake in social studies. This saddened Drake to no end. He didn't want to argue with Josh, maybe after school he would apologize to him.

The students all took their seats in front of their overturned examination papers. Mr. Tofty walked into the classroom, and seated himself at his desk glancing around the classroom.

"Turn over your papers," said Mr. Tofty, glancing at his watch. "You may begin. You have exactly one hour to finish your tests."

Drake stared fixedly at the first question. It was several seconds before it occurred to him that he had not taken in a word of it. Slowly, tortuously, he began to write an answer. For the next hour, all around Drake pencils were scratching paper like scurrying, burrowing rats.

Ten minutes before time was up, Drake turned his test over. Staring at the giant clock on the wall, he tapped his pencil on his desk over and over...and over again until he thought the big hand would never move again.

Suddenly, the bell rang, everyone in the room sighed in relief, either because they were annoyed by Drake's persistent tapping, or because it was the last test of the day, it could have been both. Everyone made a mad rush to the door, but froze at the sound of Mr. Tofty's voice.

"Wait until _I_ say you can leave! You will have your results by next Friday, class dismissed!" The teacher said in his usual cold voice.

The sound of talk in the halls was deafening. Drake grabbed his personal items from his locker and began walking to the front of the school waiting for Alec to find him. He wasn't really paying attention so he ran straight into Josh, causing his brother to fall flat on his back. Drake extended his hand, but Josh pushed it away and stood up on his own. Putting the few books that had fallen out of his bag back into his bag, Josh pushed his way through the crowd of students.

When he glanced around, Drake could see Alec over in a corner waiting for him.

Alec was short for Alexander, an annoying nickname in the boy's opinion. He had should-length, nicely kept, brown hair that fell across his face hiding his bright green eyes. Alexander Pryce was roughly six feet tall, and looked more like a twenty year old in size, but his face still held the mischievous expression of a sixteen year old. He was not the teacher's favorite student, nor was he a good deal smart, but as long as he didn't fail any end-of-the-year tests then he was happy.

"Alec!" Drake yelled, causing every student in the hallway to look at him oddly. Blushing, Drake lowered his head, and made his way through the crowd.

"Hey man! Weren't the tests boring? I was sure I'd scream if that stupid bell didn't go off!" Drake said, causing Alex to chuckle.

"Are you alright? Get in a fist fight with someone?" Drake nodded curtly, but did not say anything. Alex could tell Drake didn't want to pursue the subject and grabbed his bag out of his locker, then the two walked out the front door of the school.

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Drake collapsed on his bed, once Alec had dropped him off. He was exhausted, to say the least. Drake wished the day over so he could just go to bed, because a simple hour nap wouldn't help.

Suddenly he heard someone stomping up the stairs; he knew this was his chance to apologize to Josh. But it was _not_ Josh who walked in. It was Audrey.

"Yes, mom?" He asked.

"Josh has asked me to...move him into the guest bedroom," Audrey said after a moments silence.

Drake gasped, after all the fights between the two, neither had ever asked to move to another room. He realized he must have really hurt Josh by not telling him what was going on.

"No! He can't! I won't let him! Tell him to come here; I want to talk to him!" Drake demanded, Audrey sighed but nodded, and left the room.

Once Josh had came into the room, Drake jumped down from his bed.

"What do you mean you want to move out?" He asked exasperated.

"It means I don't want to stay here with you anymore. I'm tired of you not trusting me and lying to me! I'm tired of our petty arguments! So I'm simply leaving, which I think will help a great deal," Josh replied, acting like it was the most obvious thing in the world. But Drake was a very self-centered person; he didn't notice how he affected other people.

"I do trust you!"

"Maybe so, but you don't trust me enough not to lie to me," Josh retorted. Drake looked down, and Josh knew what he had said was true.

"Congratulations Drake Parker! You never wanted me to be your brother, well now I don't _want_ to be your brother! I'm outta here!" And at that Josh slammed the door closed, just like Drake had slammed the door closed on their friendship.

Drake had been taught not to cry, boy had that been a horrible day for him, but now all he wanted to do was cry. Not only did he not have a father, but he didn't even have a brother. Who could he turn to? His mother wouldn't understand, and Megan...well...she was out of the question.

'_What a wonderful mess you've gotten yourself into this time._'


	5. Scream

**A/N: **I am so stupid. On anonymous reviews, some have an email address below their name. I thought the email address was part of their name, so that's how I've been typing it! I am so sorry, I feel so embarrassed! But you can count on me to miss the obvious. Also the song Drake writes in this chapter is actually a ZOEgirl song called "Scream", it fit perfectly with this story so I decided to use it. In later chapters I might rewrite parts of it to match the scene.

**Thank ya'll so much for the reviews! Without them, there would be no fifth chapter!  
**AlisonLydon**  
**Nova-chan**  
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**MexDev: Your review was really touching! I found tears in my eyes after reading it! Hopefully this chapter will be good, too!**  
**Arwen  
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**Disclaimer:** I wish I owned Drake & Josh. Then I could turn this story into an episode. But as you can tell, I do _not_ own Drake & Josh. Oh well. I also don't own ZOEgirl or their music.

* * *

_Scream _– chapter five

Bruises heal fast, and so do black eyes. Ribs were another thing.

Drake slowly sat up from his bed. Days after the run-in with the gang his ribs had hurt a tiny bit, but now he couldn't move without gasping or biting his, now healed, lip to suppress a whimper. He couldn't believe he had actually thought the pain was horrible before. Drake was sure that he could now relate to someone who had been stabbed.

It had been a week since Josh moved out, and Drake was very lonely. A few weeks ago he would never have thought he would _miss_ Josh, but he did. He had grown to like the Oprah obsessed dork.

The teen had just started walking across his room, when he heard his mom call for him.

"Coming, mom!" Drake exclaimed, cringing almost immediately. He should've learned by now that it hurt his ribs to talk, and even more so to yell.

Once he had reached the bottom step, he could see his whole family sitting down in the living room. Everyone stopped talking when they saw him walk in.

"Drake, my mother called, and she has offered to take Megan for the summer. And since I already have the next few weeks off at work, I thought I would go with Megan. Is that okay?"

'_Leave me here with the two people who hate me? No, that's not okay!'_

Instead of voicing his true thoughts, he put on a smile, and replied, "It's perfectly fine! I hope you two have a great time!" This caused Audrey to smile.

"Great! We're leaving tomorrow," She looked to the rest of her family, "I'm sorry I've told everyone this on such short notice, but she just called this morning."

"Audi, it's okay! I'll be happy to take care of the boys!" Walter said, sitting beside his wife.

Drake stood up slowly from where he sat and began walking back upstairs. No one seemed to notice him leaving; they were all busy talking about their plans for the next few weeks. Their plans _without_ him. Maybe this was his mom's ideal family? Why did she need a son that reminded her of her ex-husband every time she looked at him?

Drake knew cuts healed fast. Just like bruises and black eyes. So once he got into the bathroom he did the first thing he had done years ago. He did the only thing that he knew would relieve him of all this pain. Both mentally and physically.

Grabbing the razor, he raised it up so he could see the blade. He loved how the light bounced off it, making it appear so deadly. His body longed for it; it had been a hopeless addiction at one time.

When he cut, he felt free. He felt happy. Maybe Josh would move back in if he was happy again?

Deep down he knew his mom would be upset. But he didn't care what she thought. He needed this. Nobody would care what was going on. Nobody knew how he felt. Nobody understood his pain. Sure, most people go through worse. But he felt like someone had grabbed a time-turner and thrown him back into the past, and now his world was falling to pieces. Everything was happening so fast! First his step-father was drinking, just like his own father had. His step-brother had left him, just like…

Drake shook his head. He couldn't go there. He couldn't release _those_ memories after it had taken so long to bury them.

Glancing back at the razor in his right hand, Drake slowly lowered it to his arm, and then dragged the cool blade against his skin. He let out a sigh of relief, and sat down on the ground, his lips tightening as his ribs let off a sharp pain.

Drake looked down at his left arm that now was covered in blood. Why had he ever stopped this when he could feel this good? Placing the razor down, he let the pain in his arm overwhelm him. Now that was the only pain his mind knew.

He felt alive again. He felt like a real person, with real feelings; a concept many people tend to forget.

Standing up, he regretfully washed the blood off his arm and grabbed a first aid kit from the bathroom closet. Wrapping his forearm with bandages, he washed the blade off and threw it in the trash. He no longer felt the pain in his ribs; the blade had acted as a drug to his brain. It would appear to an outsider that he was high on something.

Feeling much happier now, he waltzed into his room, untroubled. This is what he missed, being so carefree. But he had never truly been carefree. His father had raised him like an adult. Instead of going to the movies or somewhere fun, Drake was beat until his father had had enough of him. Then he was physically thrown into his small room, and locked in. He remembered crying for hours on end, begging for his dad to let him out. This was how every Saturday and Sunday had been back then. His mother, at the time, worked very late hour during the weekends, and even during the week she sometimes had to work late. So she never paid much attention to him. And then when Megan was born everything got worse.

Not wanting to ruin his ecstasy, Drake stopped thinking about the past. He mentally shut it in a box and locked it away.

For once in the last few weeks his mind was clear. He could think straight again, and he wasn't about to let anyone or anything ruin that, including old memories. So he grabbed his jacket and jogged down the stairs.

"Mom, can I go for a drive?" She didn't answer him. Audrey was still focused on what was going to happen this summer; planning it all out. So Drake grabbed the keys to her car and slammed the front door.

The only person who showed any sign of knowing that Drake had just left was Josh.

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Driving was exhausting, fun, but exhausting. Definitely good for when you just want to think about life, or enjoy the day, which is exactly why Drake was driving. Unfortunately his 'happiness' was starting to wear off, so he turned around and started heading back home.

Glancing at the car clock, Drake cringed. His mom was going to kill him for being late!

'_If she even cares.'_

Drake froze. Where had that thought come from? Why had he been thinking like this lately? Of course his mom cared if he got back home in time for dinner.

'_How do you know that? She didn't seem to care that you were leaving…'_

Of course she did. She was just a little preoccupied.

'_Keep telling yourself that. What about Josh? Think he cares about you, too? And Megan? Think she cares if you jump off a bridge?'_

Drake pulled the car over into the emergency lane, and stopped. Leaning back in the seat, he closed his eyes.

What if Megan didn't care if he jumped off a bridge? Same with Josh! Wouldn't it be _better_ if he just jumped off a bridge, and out of people's lives?

A loud honk from behind him made Drake jump. Looking into his rearview mirror he saw Walter's car…with Josh in it.

Josh got out of his dad's car, and walked over to his mom's.

"We need to talk," He said, while opening the door for Drake.

"No, no we don't. I have nothing to say, not that you'd care anyway." Drake mumbled the last part, but Josh heard it.

"Not that I'd care anyway….Drake, of course I'd care! You're my brother; I care very much what you have to say! I've been following you the entire time; I think that means I care."

"Listen Josh, I'm sorry if I'm hurting you by not telling you what's wrong. Just trust me when I say I'm fine," And at that Drake slammed the car door, and sped off.

Josh's shoulders' slumped, he had been sure Drake would tell him what's wrong.

Getting back into his own car, Josh slowly drove back home.

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He couldn't take it. Once again his ribs were hurting, and his mind was busy. Literally. He hated this.

It was well past ten, he knew his parents would be in their room. Peering over the bathroom counter, the light reflected off the used blade.

Pulling up his sleeve, he tore off the bandage that had been on his forearm. Of course the cuts weren't healed yet, but they would be soon.

Drake never liked cutting over the same areas, it made his spine tingle. So he raised his sleeve a bit more. He knew exactly where he was going to do it. Grabbing the razor from the trash can, he noted with pleasure that he was seconds away from being free again.

Suddenly the bathroom door was thrown open. Drake froze, dropping the razor in surprise, and managing to nick his arm. There stood Josh, eyes wide open, mouth agape.

"What in the _hell_ are you doing!"

Drake was speechless. What does one say in a situation such as this? Sorry? His mouth moved, but no words came out.

Finally, he lowered his eyes, placing a hand over the small cut that was now bleeding.

"Are you insane! What did you think you were doing? Answer me!" Josh demanded. Drake had never seen his brother so upset.

When no answer came, Josh stepped forward causing Drake to back up in fear.

The problem was Drake was no longer seeing his kind step-brother; he was seeing his furious drunken father.

Tears filled his glazed eyes; as he found he could no longer back up without running into the wall. He was stuck; caged in like an animal.

His legs collapsed under him, and he curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth, with his head resting on his knees.

"Drake? Drake, what's wrong?" This voice wasn't his fathers. This voice was pleading for him to answer. His father's voice was much harsher, and he never pleaded for anything.

Josh sat beside his brother, and put an arm on his shoulder, surprised when the boy flinched at the contact.

"Drake, it's your brother. What's wrong? I'm sorry if I scared you," he said in a soothing voice hoping to calm Drake down.

And in the blink of an eye, Drake was…Drake again. He uncurled, and, with Josh's help, stood up.

"What just happened?" Josh asked, once he thought Drake had regained his composure.

"I-I don't know…"

"Okay, well, why are you-" Josh stopped talking and just stared at the blade that was now lying on the floor. Drake knew what he was talking about.

"You wouldn't believe me."

"Try me."

Drake washed the small cut off, and grabbed more bandages from the first aid kit.

"Josh, just…leave it. I don't want to talk."

"Well, too bad, because I do. Why are you cutting yourself? I want to know what's going on!"

"You don't need to know what's going on! And a few cuts won't kill me!" Josh stared at Drake incredulously.

"That's how people DIE! By cutting themselves! It's suicide! What I want to know is why my brother, who I love very much, is doing this?"

Even though Drake would never admit it, what Josh had just said touched him. No one had ever said 'I love you' to him. Yeah, the girl's he went out with did and his mom did…but that was sort of expected. They never said it from their heart.

Leaning against the door frame, Drake looked into his brother's eyes.

"You wouldn't understand," Drake replied softly, and walked out the door.

Once Drake had gotten back to his room, he closed his door and locked it. Everything hurt. Again. When would this pain go away?

Grabbing his guitar, Drake sat on his bed and began quietly singing a song he had started to write earlier that day; it was far from being finished.

_Does anybody know how I feel?  
Sometimes I'm numb, sometimes I'm overcome.  
Does anybody care what's going on?  
Do I have to wear my scars like a badge on my arm?  
For you to see me, I need release._

_Do I have to scream for you to hear me?  
Do I have to bleed for you to see me?  
'Cause I grieve, you're not listening to me…  
Do I need to scream?_

Setting his guitar down, he turned off his lamp and laid down in his bed. He was so ashamed. Josh had actually seen him cutting, or about to anyway. Josh would never want to talk to him again. He'd probably tell Megan and mom, and then he'd be sent to an asylum and thrown into a padded cell for the rest of his life.

It was hard for Drake to go to sleep that night, his mind was racing, and he couldn't concentrate on falling asleep. Finally, hours later his eyes closed, and soft snores could be heard.


	6. Because of You

**A/N: **I am so sorry I haven't updated sooner! I've been real busy lately, and then a few days ago I accidently deleted Microsoft Works! So that really upset me and I've been trying everything to get it back, but it's gone for good. I'm sorry to tell some of you that the cutting might make one more appearance! And I'm really sorry if this chapter is...bad, I've been tired all day and am not in my right mind.

**Thanks to my wonderful reviewers!  
**JamiePaige101  
Unknown  
Jamamamie05  
Saiba: Sorry, I didn't write the song. ZOEgirl wrote it. Thanks for reviewing!  
Arwen  
LdS ChIcK  
vaughnrocks  
Kitty-Witty-Kate  
bloody brandy  
Gingerrogersforever  
jhhhhjfjk89

**Disclaimer**: Am I the only one who is tired of disclaimer? Well, the usual applies. And don't sue me.

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_Because of You_- chapter six

Drake had pretty much slept the next fewdays away since there was no mom yelling for him to get up. In fact, when he did finally get up the sun had already set hours ago. He didn't see any reason in leaving his room when the only people currently in the house hated him.

Truthfully, Drake was worried. He was worried that one night Josh might have to work late and leave him alone with Walter. Sure, Josh wasn't very happy with him but he knew that if his brother was home then Walter wouldn't try anything. Or so the teen thought.

Giving into his stomach, Drake finally left his room. He could hear the TV downstairs, and took a deep breath. Not wanting to face his brother or Walter, he silently walked into the kitchen and ran _right_ into Josh; who was leaving the kitchen.

"Oh sorry!" Josh exclaimed as Drake fell to the floor.

"No big deal," Drake replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"I could call dad to come-" Josh was then cut off by Drake shouting, "NO!" with fear flashing through his brown eyes.

"No...? What's going on between you and dad?"

As Josh expected, Drake replied 'nothing'. That aggrevated him more! All he wanted to know was why Drake was acting differently lately. Was that too much to ask?

"Well, I'm going to bed. See ya', Drake," Josh muttered, leaving Drake behind.

Grabbing a root beer from the 'fridge, Drake walked into the living room and sat down on the couch; flipping through the channels.

"I think it's time you've learned your lesson." A voice from behind Drake whispered.Jumping up from the couch, Drake turned around to see a _very_ drunk Walter.

"Lesson? I haven't done anything wrong..." This was obviously a very bad choice of words, for Walter clenched his fists; lip curling.

"You think you have to do something, boy?" He snarled, and Drake winced at the smell of whiskey.

"C-could we do this some other t-time?" Drake asked. In rage, Walter shot around the couch with unnatural speed, grabbing Drake by the hair.

"No. We're doing it now." Walter growled,throwing Drake to the floor.

"I never wanted you. I have a son, and he's better than you could ever be! I'm gonna show you how much you're worth to me," He growled as he viciously kicked his step-son in the stomach.

Drake curled into himself, trying to block off some of the blows. But he couldn't, his stepfather was too strong for him. He felt himself start to lose conscious, and the darkness looked so welcoming.

Suddenly memories started coming back. Memories he had tried his best to forget. One after the other they closed in on him. Each carried their own pain, all different but all with one goal. To hurt. To cause pain.

_A five year old boy clothed in rags with short brown hair was thrown into the wall. He cried out for his mother but he knew deep down she wouldn't come. She never came._

"I'm going to make you regret you were ever born," Walter hissed between clenched teeth as he took his belt off and raised it high into the air. Drake cringed, he knew he couldn't get out of the way in time; it was inevitable.

As the belt came down on the young teens back, the pain was unbearable. It was a type of pain that made you wish for death. Welcome death.

_The boy felt the belt hit his bare back, and he screamed. He didn't know what he did to deserve such pain._

"Because of you I have no job! All because of you!" Each word was followed by the belt slapping Drake.

To stop from screaming out, Drake bit the side of his cheek. Soon the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth.

_"You're going to regret ever being born, boy." The short man spat. The small boy lay on the gorund, blood starting to seep through his torn shirt. He looked no older than seven._

_Suddenly a shout came from the other side of the room. The small boy, Drake, managed to sit up. He saw his older brother making his way towards their father._

_"You leave him alone, you monster!" His brother yelled, anger racing through his eyes._

_"Don't make me hurt you too, Zack! Just stay out of this!"_

_"I refuse to stand aside and let you hurt my brother!" Zack shouted, standing between Drake and their father._

_"Then I do not regret doing this!" At that their father jumped on Zack. Each trying to be the one on top. Zack managed to land some blows, but not nearly enough as their father. Eventuallythe older brotherbecame weak, and the man he had once called father was now on top of him; about to land the final blow._

_"No! Daddy, please no!" Drake screamed, racing to his brother's side. __Ignoring his son, he raised his fist and let it come down on the face of his older son._

_Satisfied, he got off the teen and grabbed Drake. He threw the poor boy into his room as hard as he could; slamming the door behind him._

_It was at that time Drake knew his brother was dead. The kind heart of Zachary Parker was no more._

"Did you hear me? I said get out of here before I change my mind! And if a single soul hears of this then we'll have another..._lesson_," Walter sneered, plopping himself down on the couch. Drake knew he couldn't tell a soul. He knew he couldn't let what happened to his brother happen to anyone ever again.

Gathering up his strength, Drake slowly stood up; gasping in agony. He had forgotten how much a belt hurt. Slowly he made his way up stairs, taking each step at a time. By the time he made it to the top he was completely out of breath, and nearly crawling on the floor. His legs hurt, his stomach hurt, his back hurt. Pretty much everything hurt. But he was use to the pain.

Too tired to even think of taking a nice warm shower, Drake crawled to his bedroom. The ladder seperating his bed from the floor would be too hard a task for the teen at the moment, so he fell onto the bedroom couch.

As he tried not to breathe, Drake began to think about his past. About his brother.

'It's all my fault he's dead. If I hadn't been born then he wouldn't have died. I'm just a mistake, dad was right,' Drake thought.

Tears filled his eyes. The police had never found Zachary, his mother still thought the teen had ran away. His father had gotten away with murder.

Shaking his head, Drake closed his eyes. He didn't want to think of his past anymore. He was tired of thinking of the past. But he knew that now that he had unburied them they would forever haunt him.

That night he didn't go to sleep. Instead, Drake cried. Cried for hours and hours for the loss of his brother, for the loss of an innocent soul never laid to rest.

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Around two in the morning, Josh woke up because he was thirsty. Walking down the hall, a noise made him freeze. It was the sound of someone crying and crying hard.

Interested now, he walked closer to where the sound was coming from. He became concerned when he heard it coming from his brother's room.

Slowly opening the door, he looked around for his brother but couldn't find him. And then...Josh saw his brother.Drake was lying on the couch all curled up sobbing. Not wanting to disturb Drake, Josh quietly closed the door and went back to his own room; forgetting about his thirst.

'Why was Drake crying?' He asked himself.

Yeah, lately he had been a bit off and then he was cutting...but Josh had never seen him _cry_. And it wasn't something he wanted to see. He was use to his brother being so strong and seeing that emotional wreck lying on the couch was just...shocking.

Josh closed his eyes and prayed for sleep, hoping it wouldcomefast so he wouldn't have to hear the sobs coming from down the hall.

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Finally as the sun began to rise Drake was exhuasted and fell into a restless sleep.

_'It's all your fault I'm dead, I should never have protected you! I should never have tried saving you! Because of you I am dead!_' _Zachary roared. Drake shook his head, muttering no, but to no avail. Zachary filled his mind. Drake was overwhelmed with regret._

As the nightmares slowly ended, and Drake's eyes opened only one thought filled him.

Because of him his brother was dead. All because of him.


	7. Betrayed or Not?

_Betrayed or Not? _– chapter seven

Drake sat down at the kitchen table staring at his cereal, not really in the mood to eat. Finally, he stood up and put the bowl in the sink. He slowly began to wash it, unaware of another presence entering the kitchen.

Suddenly a voice whispered in his ear, "I hope it hurts," Drake gasped, and jumped away.

"J-Josh, what do you mean?"

Josh grinned, a sinister look in his eyes. "I think you know exactly what I mean."

"No, I d-don't…" Fear glazing over those haunted brown eyes.

"I hope when he kicks you, you know how absolutely vile you are!" Josh spat out.

"Kicks me? What are you talking about-''

"Oh stop playing innocent! I've seen it with my own two eyes. I've seen when he grabbed his belt and brought it down on your pathetic form. You couldn't even fight him off! You're so weak," He sneered.

"And you didn't try to _help_ me? I thought we were brothers!" Drake shouted.

"Yeah, _were_ brothers. Until I saw your true side. I would never want to have any relation with anyone so fragile. Could you hold your own if you went against…say me? Would you start shaking when you saw my hand raised? Would you start crying as memories took over you?"

"Josh, w-why are you acting like this?" Drake exclaimed slowly backing away from his brother.

"Oh! The 'Great Drake' can ask all the questions he wants! Big surprise there! You always get your way; you always get whatever you want. But this time you don't. This time you're not getting away."

Drake fearfully tried running out the kitchen door but it wouldn't budge. And then he heard low chuckling, coming from the other side of it, and a low voice began to speak.

"You'll never escape us, Drake. Your mother is gone. The only thing you had to cling on to. But with her out of the picture, you're all ours. Don't you get it? We live off your fear; we stay alive just by the tears that fill your eyes every time you look at me. You must understand, Josh and I are doing this for the world's sake. To save innocents from people like you. Disgusting, selfish people like you. The world would be a better place without weak souls like you."

Suddenly Drake was on the floor, as Walter pushed the door open with amazing strength. He began slowly walking towards the boy on the floor with Josh by his side.

Drake desperately crawled away, trying to get to the other door. But when he reached it, he found it locked. He let out a helpless sob that came from deep inside him.

"Leave me alone! Please, _please_ leave me alone! I-I never did anything to anyone! Why can't any just leave me alone?" He muttered tearfully, whimpering as they both cornered him. He had no way of escaping, but he should've been use to not being able to escape.

His heart beat frantically in his ears, as his back hit the wall. His lungs appeared to have completely forgotten how to operate. Drake's vision began to blur as he began losing oxygen.

The last thing he saw was Walter and Josh closing in on him, he curled into a ball to avoid as many blows as possible.

But none came.

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"Come ON, Drake! If I have to hold your nose _one_ more time just to get you awake, then so be it!" The familiar voice exclaimed.

Drake found he could breathe again, and his heart wasn't beating in his ears as it had been moments ago. He slowly opened his eyes, and saw that he was lying on the bedroom couch.

"How…did I get here?" Drake's voice cracked.

"Uh…you fell _asleep_ here." Josh replied, looking confused.

"But I wasn't here a second ago. I was-" But Drake didn't dare finish. It had all been a dream. Drake sighed, inwardly relieved. Unfortunately, the pain Walter had caused him, just hours ago, was _not_ a dream.

"What time is it?" Drake asked, slowly getting up from the couch. Big mistake though. Pain raced from his head to his toes, and he slumped back onto the couch.

"Well, you missed lunch and if you hadn't woken up this time, then you would've missed dinner. So come on!" Josh said, grabbing hold of Drake's arm and pulling him off the couch. Drake winced, but tried not to let the pain show in his face.

"Yeah…I'm not that hungry. I had a rough night, so I just want to sleep some more," Drake said as Josh released his arm.

"You're absolutely sure?" Josh asked, clearly concerned for his brother. Drake nodded, and watched Josh leave the room.

'_Would he be so concerned if I told him? Was that dream possible? It certainly felt real,_' Drake thought.

What if Josh did abandon the whole 'brother' idea and turn on him like Walter had? Was it possible? Drake certainly hoped not…but somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice told him not to tell Josh. That it would lead to horrible things. Drake listened to this voice. He decided he wouldn't ever tell Josh what was going on, for fear of losing a brother. _Another_ brother.

Standing up with strength Drake didn't even know he had, he was able to get up and leave his room without collapsing. The pain was unbearable. It was like his whole body was on fire.

Finally he made it to the bathroom, and quickly closed the door. Drake glanced in the mirror, almost afraid of what he would see.

But there was no difference. His face was clear as a bell, no bruising, no nothing. It was as normal as it always had been, except for the bags under his eyes.

Drake smiled at his reflection. If he weren't in so much pain, he might've stood there all day just smiling at himself. But there was no time for that. If he didn't sit down somewhere, he would eventually pass out.

He wondered if he should go to the hospital to just get checked out, but quickly shot down this idea. The doctors would wonder what had happened, then have to call the legal guardian, and Drake wasn't really in the mood to go through another beating.

Grabbing a towel out of the closet, he began taking off his clothes, and then stepped into the shower. The water was relaxing, almost to the point that the pain was gone…but then the water became too hot and the open cuts on his back were searing once again.

An hour or so later, Drake finally had rinsed off as much blood from his back as possible and grabbed the towel. Wrapping it around his waist, he got out of the shower and began dressing again.

Biting his lip as hard as he could, he managed to get back to his room without too much trouble. Exhausted and wanting all the pain to go away, Drake collapsed once again on the bedroom couch and let himself drift to sleep.

Except this time he wasn't plagued with nightmares, but dreams of life as a rock star.

* * *

**A/N**: So how was it? I've decided to have a/n and everything else at the end of each chapter instead! I'm sorry I didn't post in over a week! I seriously thought I had just posted not long ago! Anyway, hope this chapter was good!

**Thank You** to all my reviewers! I don't have time to respond at the moment, but I want you all to know that each review is so awesome! Love you guys; ya'll make my days so much better!


	8. Final Fight

**A/N:** I was just looking over the last chapter, and boy was there a _lot_ of mistakes! Not spelling, I mean phrasing and just a bunch of stuff that could've been replaced with something better! Hopefully, this chapter will be a lot better written and hopefully longer since I now have Microsoft Word again! Just so everyone knows, there are only two chapters left, so that's why this chapter might seem a bit rushed!

**To my reviewers:** I'm now going to start putting all responses to reviews in my profile

**Disclaimer:** If I got paid for reviewing then I'd be rich. But obviously, you don't get paid for reviewing; therefore I am not rich and couldn't possibly own Drake & Josh.

_Final Fight_ - chapter eight

Josh Nichols was one confused teen. He wasn't the type to get easily confused often, but when you have a brother like Drake Parker then your whole world is turned upside down. And to Josh, that was unsettling.

He didn't know what was wrong with Drake as of late. First his brother wouldn't answer his questions, then he finds him about to cut himself, and now he cries at night! Josh didn't know if he should ask his parents to help his brother, because he didn't know if that would make things worse.

Stuffing chips in his mouth, Josh quickly picked the controller to his Playstation back up. He was so close to finally finishing the level when…the phone rang. At first Josh was just going to ignore it, I mean what's more important? Answering the phone or completing a level you've been trying to finish for months?

Answering the phone won.

Angrily throwing the controller down, he stomped off towards the kitchen and yanked the phone off its holder.

"Hello?" Josh asked in a forced voice, trying to not sound upset.

"Josh! This is mom. Megan came down with something, and so I'm taking her to the doctors today. I'm just calling to let you know that we're coming back home sometime next week. Don't forget to tell your father!" Audrey said on the other line.

"'Kay, mom. Love you," And Josh hung up.

As he was walking back towards the couch, Walter walked in carrying a paper bag. He froze when he saw Josh.

"Hey, dad. Out job-hunting again?" Josh asked, turning towards the TV.

"Uh-huh," Walter replied, heading towards the kitchen.

"So what did ya' get?"

Walter peeked his head out the door dividing the kitchen from the living room. "What?"

"What's in the bag?"

"Oooh! That? Just some…milk. We're always needing milk, so I just stopped by the store and got some…"

"So find any jobs?" Josh continued.

"No, my resume is never good enough for anyone," Walter said, walking out of the kitchen to sit beside his son. "I'm going to end up being one of those people who work for the rest of their lives at the grocery store bagging."

Josh looked at his dad and smiled. "Don't worry, Dad, you'll find the perfect job soon! I'm sure of it! Oh, by the way, mom called and said she'd be home next week sometime," He said. With a quick glance, he saw that it was already two.

"Well, gotta go to work. See ya' at dinner!" Walter nodded his head, and waved his son off.

When he was absolutely sure Josh had left, Walter walked back into the kitchen. Grabbing the paper bag he had hidden at the bottom of a cabinet, he pulled out the wine bottle. Throwing the bag into the trash, he walked back out into the living room and made himself comfortable on the couch. He tore of the clear wrapping, and took the top off, relaxing fully once the beautiful fragrance had filled the air around him.

Walter picked up his glass on the table, and poured the liquid into it. Then an idea struck him. Why not mix two liquors together?

Excited, Walter jumped off the couch and rushed back into the kitchen. Running his hands over the top of each cabinet, he finally found what he was looking for; a small bottle that had not yet been opened. Walter knew it was quite old, but he would try mixing them anyway.

He poured the Jack Daniels into the already half-filled cup. Then he took a small sip.

The taste was strong, but the feeling was extraordinary. The two put together had a bitter-vinegary taste, but the relief it gave was immediate apposed to just drinking one type of liquor.

Feeling like he was on cloud nine, Walter poured the rest of the Jack Daniels out, and planned on buying a new bottle soon. He knew he should start keeping the liquids cold, so Walter decided he would try hiding them in the fridge out in the garage. Walking back out of the kitchen and sitting back down, Walter began sipping his drink, trying not to drink too fast.

The front door opened causing Walter to gulp half the glass down.

Drake had just been dropped off back home by Alec, and was happy to see no cars in the garage. But as he walked through the door, he jerked back when he saw Walter on the couch. Glass in hand.

Not sure whether to run upstairs or run out the door, Drake just stood there eyes wide. Deep down he hated how when he was around Walter, his emotions were always on his sleeve. He wasn't a very emotional kind of guy.

Walter just stared at his stepson, waiting for him to make the first move. But nothing happened. Making up his mind, Walter stood up and walked into the kitchen. This surprised Drake. What, no yelling? No glaring? Confused, Drake walked upstairs with a bag in his hands.

When he finally got to his room, he sat down on the bedroom couch and took out his new cd out of the bag. It was the Beatles '1962-1966' record, the one he had been saving up to buy for weeks.

Drake hadn't just bought that cd because he wanted it…but because it had been Zachary's favorite album. Drake remembered how his brother had played it 24/7 the first week he had gotten it. That's how Drake became a fan of the Beatles; by his brother playing their record every single day for seven days straight. Boy, did Zack love that record. His favorite song had been 'Nowhere Man' and soon it had become six-year-old Drakes, too.

Drake glanced at the calendar and visibly cringed. Yeah, he had already known what today was…but to see it right there only made it the more harder. Today was Zachary Parker's death day. Unlike a birthday, you don't celebrate on a death day, you mourn.

Grabbing the second cd in the two-disc case, he put it in his cd player and pressed play. Scanning the names on the case looking for Nowhere Man, he finally found it and clicked forward until he got to number seven. He sat down on the couch and let the words of the song wash over him, along with memories of his life with his late brother.

For five long years, almost every night Zachary would sneak his little brother food while their dad was passed out on the couch. Sure, he had gotten caught quite a few times, and got a good thrashing for it, too. But Zachary would do anything for his brother, that's what made thinking about the past so hard for Drake. He had had a brother who loved him so much. Who loved him so much, that he would give his life for Drake.

Drake remembered how the kids at preschool all the way till first grade use to laugh about how small he was. They didn't understand that it was because he was malnourished. They would say he looked like a two year old instead of a five year old, and that had hurt Drake so much. He had never been in control over what his father fed him, and his brother had already done the most he could do. Finally, Zack had heard enough about how the kids teased Drake, and went to the school and sat them all down. Drake had been sick that day, so he never found out what his brother had told those kids, he just knew they never bothered him again. Drake remembered constantly hugging his older brother after that, he was so thankful.

A year later, exactly a week before his death, Audrey bought Zachary the Beatles cd for his birthday. Zack had been so happy, because it had all of his favorite songs on both discs! For that entire week he played the songs until it drove everyone in the house crazy, but secretly Drake loved every minute of it. He was so ecstatic to see his brother happy, because if anyone deserved to be happy, it was Zachary. But then seven days later, on a Monday, Zachary's life came to an end.

Drake closed his eyes trying to keep the memory of that night away, tears slipped from his clenched eyes. Slowly, he was able to compose himself, and quickly brushed away the tears. He stood up and turned the cd player off. His brother had never much liked 'Michelle' so neither did Drake.

Deep down he knew his brother would never want him still crying over his death, but Drake couldn't help it. How can you _not_ cry over a death you caused? Shaking his head, he stopped this line of thought.

He climbed the ladder to his bed, and threw himself on top of the old mattress. Burying his face into the pillow he began to softy cry, mourning for his lost brother.

'_I'm so sorry, Zack._'

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"Mr. Nichols, I'm afraid if you don't pay the bill for your mortgage then we're going to get the government involved-" But Walter didn't wait around to hear the rest of what the woman had to say, because he angrily slammed the phone back on it's hook and stomped off to the kitchen. Grabbing his glass from the sink, he poured himself a glass of Bush Chablis, very angry with himself because he had foolishly poured out his Jack Daniels, therefore he couldn't have the mix that kept him calm and collective.

'_Who were they to tell him he had to pay eight hundred dollars every month just to keep a house? The nerve of people!'_ Walter fumed, as he sat back down on the couch. A noise behind him made him shoot off the couch, glaring at whoever was brave enough to disturb him at the moment.

It was Drake.

"What do _you_ want?" Walter hissed. Drake shrugged and sat down on the opposite end of the couch.

"I just want to um…ask you a question," Drake said simply, but inside his fear was growing.

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?"

"Why do you do it?" asked Drake.

"Do what _exactly_?" Walter said, sitting down in a chair.

"Drink." Was Drake's straightforward response.

Suddenly Walter was very fidgety, and the glaze that had covered his eyes since he started drinking all those weeks ago seemed to fade a bit. "Oh well um…"

"You alcoholics never have an answer for that question," Drake said, "My father was an alcoholic, too. Mom's probably already told you that. But what I bet she never told you was that he killed my brother, that's because she never knew."

The glaze faded a bit more.

"My father killed him, he's a murderer because of that vile drink in your hand. Are you gonna become a murderer, too?"

"How…how DARE you even say such a thing!" The glaze was settled right back over Walter's eyes again. Drake sighed in hopelessness. He was _sure_ he would have gotten through to Walter.

"How DARE you, you insolent brat!" Now Walter was up off his chair, eyes red with fury.

Drake scooted back further into the couch. '_Oh crap! And here I thought I was gonna help!'_

"How dare me! You're the one who's drinking! You're the one who's gonna ruin your families life as soon as they find out! So yeah! How dare me try to HELP YOU when I should be trying to get RID OF YOU!" And that's when it began.

It all happened so fast! Walter threw his glass across the room, and Drake jerked when he heard it shatter into a million pieces as it hit the wall. The next moment Walter was on top of him, trying to land as many blows as possible. Trying to get rid of all his anger. That's right, Drake was now labeled Walter's punching bag, but not for long.

What happened next only increased Walter's rage. As he raised his fist and was about to land another blow, a fist hit him in the face and quite hard. Just the intensity shocked him, as he stumbled off of Drake and onto the floor.

Suddenly Drake felt stronger, suddenly he felt like _he_ could be in control instead of his stepfather. Anger filled his eyes as he jumped at Walter, tackling him to the ground. Gathering his own strength, Walter kicked Drake off of him and was pleased to hear a _crack_. Raw pain seared through Drake, to the point that he couldn't breathe.

Trying to ignore the pain, Drake stood up with his fists clenched. Walter sneered as he Drake came at him. Grabbing him by surprise, Walter lifted him into the air and threw him fiercely to the floor.

Drake gasped as the back of his head came in contact with the wooden floor, and stars danced around his vision. The pain was unbelievable, and Drake could feel the headache getting more painful by the minute. Walter took advantage of Drake's pain and kicked him as hard as he could in the leg. Drake yelped in pain, biting his lip to keep from screaming. It was at that moment Walter jumped back on top of Drake, making sure he sat on the leg that he had just kicked.

"Ge'off of me! Get. Off. YOU-" But something made Drake stop, something evil that flashed through Walter's eyes.

"Get off you say?" The man smirked, bending down to whisper into the teen's ear, but before he had the chance to say anything Drake brought his good leg up to his chest and push Walter off of him, with strength he never knew he possessed.

Somehow managing to stand up, Drake leaned on the dining table for support, holding his side.

"Why are you doing this? To get rid of your _anger_? I thought that was what your booze was for! That's what _gym_ is for!" He yelled at Walter, trying to stall so he could at least take a breather before he was forced to fight his stepfather again.

"No! That's not why I'm doing this, you idiot child! I have no control WHATSOEVER of any friggin' thing anymore! …Aside from you…" For Drake, his breather was now officially over. Walter grabbed the vase that sat on the coffee table and threw it at Drake, narrowly missing the young teen's head.

"I will NOT let you control me! You don't scare me anymore!" At that, Drake let out a yell as he ran towards Walter anger getting the best of him. The man easily sidestepped, which sent Drake crashing into the wall.

"You actually _think_ I can't control you?" Walter asked, walking beside Drake and swiftly backhanded him.

Tired from the inside out, Drake slumped against the wall, breathing hard. Walter picked Drake up by his shirt and dragged him towards the other side of the room. Dumping him on the floor, Walter sat beside the teen who he was suppose to call son, and brushed the bangs away from Drake's eyes in fake affection.

Walter then began to speak in a soft whisper, "I'm sorry to have to do this, but all you cause me is anger. So today you _are_ going to die," He raised his fist once more preparing to land the final blow…when a hand closes around his fist.

"Not on my watch," Josh snapped.


	9. Saved

**Authors Note: **I am soooo sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up! I didn't feel like writing it...until Drake Bell was in a car accident. That really motivated me to write this. I hope you get better, Drake! Meanwhile, here's the next chapter! Once again, all responses to reviews will be posted on my profile, which I will put up tomorrow.

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_saved_ - chapter nine

Drake's eyes closed as he saw Walter raise his fist in the air, he knew he didn't have enough strength to fight back, his ribs hurt too much to even breathe. The teen closed his eyes awaiting the pain…but none came. Then he heard a familiar voice snap "Not on my watch". He almost laughed with relief, but knew it would hurt too much. Opening his eyes, Drake saw his brother, his wonderful dependable brother, glaring at Walter. '_I'm safe,_' was his last thought before he let the darkness take him.

To say Josh was angry would be the understatement of the year. His eyes had widened in shock when he had seen his father backhand his brother. He had heard what his dad had said, but couldn't believe it. It was like being trapped in a nightmare.

Josh had grabbed his dad's fist before he could do any further damage to Drake, and pulled his brother away from the man, away from harm. That's when he noticed the half filled glass of wine sitting on the table. And then Josh started putting two and two together. Drake's recent change of behavior, his sudden fear of Walter, the cutting, the crying.

Finding his voice, Josh whispered in disgust, "H-How could you? How could you start drinking _again_ and doing this _again_? You promised me you would never let this happen again!" By the end of his rant, Josh was almost screaming at his father.

Receiving no answer, Josh went back to tending to his brother. Appearance-wise, the teen looked like he had only gotten in a small fight with a school bully, but what was going on in the inside was what worried Josh. He didn't know if his brother might have a concussion, broken limbs, bruised or cracked ribs, or anything. So he chose not to move Drake around much, in fear of worsening his condition.

He was torn between calling 911 and driving Drake to the hospital himself. If he called 911 then he knew he would have to tell them his father had done this, and he just couldn't do that. Josh looked up from his brother and saw Walter sitting at the dining table, face red with anger, and a new glass in his hand.

With a forlorn sigh, Josh took out his cell phone and called the cops. He told the woman who answered that his brother was badly injured and needed an ambulance right away. After giving her his address, he hung up and waited for help to arrive.

Suddenly, Walter shot up from the table, and tried running towards the door but Josh dove at him, and threw him to the ground with every ounce of strength he possessed. "You're not going _anywhere_! You're going to pay for what you did!" Josh yelled, tears filling his eyes.

"You don't think I can still hurt _you_?" Walter asked in a threatening tone.

"No, you can not hurt me, and I won't let you hurt my brother-"

"You're a little late for that, aren't you?" Walter scoffed. Josh clenched his fists.

"How long has this been going on?" Walter was silent, so Josh tried again.

"I _said_, how long has this been going on!"

Walter glanced up at Josh; a small smile appearing on his face…and then the man turned on his side and puked. It was pointless trying to get any answers out of the drunken man before him. Hearing a moan come from the couch, Josh rushed to his brother's side.

He crouched beside his brother, a small smile on his face when he saw Drake's eyes slightly open.

"Hey, bro. Someone's coming to help, you hang in there, okay?" Drake nodded slightly, but immediately stopped, holding his head.

"Dizzy?" Josh asked in a whisper. The boy mumbled a weak 'yes', and clenched his eyes in pain.

Without warning, Drake broke out into a coughing fit, blood spraying from his mouth, while he held his right side tightly. Thankfully remembering what he had learned in his 'first aid' class back in second grade, he placed Drake in a semi-prone position, with his right side down.

Josh stood back up, and sat beside his father. He couldn't believe this had happened, his father had promised! Closing his eyes in anguish, tears slid down his face.

Suddenly in the distance Josh could hear a siren. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. Running to open the door, he was greeted with the sight of an ambulance and two police cars.

Two medics quickly jumped out of the ambulance and grabbed a stretcher, running into the house. Josh pointed to his brother on the couch, and the two men saw Drake start coughing up blood again, and grew concerned. Placing him very carefully onto the stretcher, and securing it so he wouldn't fall off, they rushed out of the home, passing the two officers that were now walking up to the home.

"May I ask what happened here, son?" The officer on the right said in a deep voice.

"I-I came home about ten minutes ago…I had left something home that I needed at work, and so I came back and my…my father was hitting my brother," Josh stuttered, voice shaking nervously.

The other officer raised a brow, his green eyes narrowing. "Where's your father, boy?" Josh stepped inside the house and pointed to his father, who was on the floor with his back leaning against the wall.

"Go with your brother to the hospital, we'll take care of your father." A bit uncertain Josh left his home without a second glance, running to the ambulance and getting into the back. He immediately grasped his brother's hand, in hopes of comforting the dazed boy on the makeshift bed, with an oxygen mask on. Drake dark brown hair was matted to his forehead, and his breathing was shallow. _Too_ shallow.

The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever, Josh was positive they would never get there. Finally Josh saw the hospital in view, and sighed in relief. A group of nurses were waiting for them at the emergency door, and quickly rolled the stretcher inside. Worried, Josh followed them through the doors of the emergency room, but was immediately stopped by a passing nurse. The nurse put a hand on his arm to keep him from moving on.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you'll have to wait in the-" But Josh shook her hand off.

"My brother is back there!"

"Mister, calm down. The doctor's are doing everything they can to help him, but you _must _wait here until further notice." When Josh failed to obey, she said in a much sterner tone, "_Please_, sir. Don't make me call the guards to escort you out," Shoulders slumping, Josh made his way back into the waiting room.

Josh had just began getting comfortable in the hard hair in the waiting room when a doctor came up with a clipboard in his hands.

"Mister…"

"Nichols, sir." Josh replied.

"Mr. Nichols, my name is Doctor Kon I will be the one operating on a Mister…" The doctor glanced at his clipboard, "Parker. All I need is a legal guardian's signature and we can begin."

"Doctor Kon, my mom is on vacation…and my dad was taken by the police…can't I sign it?"

"Are you eighteen?" The doctor asked.

Josh lowered his, putting his head in his hands, "No, I'm not…"

"I'm sorry, but we need to get in contact with your mother immediately. Mr. Parker needs this operation right away. Can you please give me the number of where she is staying at?" Josh wrote it down for the doctor, and handed it to him, hands shaking. At that Doctor Kon left, leaving Josh once again in the waiting room to pray to God his brother would be fine.

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Josh knew for a fact that he had been sitting there for well over an hour; possibly two, because he had went through all fifty magazines in the waiting room twice. He was becoming restless just sitting there not knowing what was happening.

"Mr. Nichols?" A soft voice called out at the emergency room doors. Josh stood so fast that he almost fell back down.

"I'm here!" He said, and walked over to her. She smiled at him, and sat down offering him a seat.

"Mr. Parker's operation was a success. His lung had been punctured by a broken rib, which caused internal bleeding and a collapsed lung. He's doing fine now, he's been moved to our second building, and you can see him in an hour or so when visiting hours start. The doctor will be with you shortly," The nurse said, and Josh nodded. Leaning back against the hard hospital chair, Josh closed his eyes. He felt like crying he was so relieved!

Suddenly a loud 'Josh!' made him jump off the chair. Standing in the emergency entrance stood a very disheveled Audrey Parker, and next to her a…_crying_ Megan? Josh stared at his little sister in disbelief.

"Where's my son?" Audrey demanded, walking to the front desk. Josh grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.

"Mom, the doctor is already done…he said everything was a success, and that Drake's fine-"

"When can I see him?" Audrey asked. A kind voice from behind them answered her question. Turning around, she went up to the doctor.

"You can see him now. Mrs. Parker, I presume?" The doctor asked; Audrey nodded.

"Your son will most likely be asleep when you see him, we just finished the operation, and he's as good as new," Doctor Kon said with a small smile. He informed them of where Drake was located and the three hurried off, anxious to get to the boy.

Upon entering the hospital room where young Drake Parker slept, Audrey began sobbing, putting her face in her hands. Megan stood beside her mom, not really sure how to act, but Josh was completely different.

Josh walked up to his brother's hospital bed and just stared at Drake. He was amazed at how innocent and vulnerable the boy looked lying in the bed, he felt a sudden need to protect him…to protect him from all the evils in the world. But he was a little late for that wasn't he? Sitting in the hospital chair, he took hold of his brother's hand that didn't have the IV in it.

After taking a minute to compose herself, Audrey stood on the other side of drake and ran her fingers through his soft hair, and down the side of his face. She couldn't believe what she had let happen to her son, how she had let that _man_ fool her.

Megan stood by the door, too shaken to get anywhere near her older brother. Seeing him like this was like being trapped in a nightmare to the young girl. She knew no one would notice her absence, so Megan left the room.

"Drake, sweetie, can you wake up? Moms here," Audrey whispered into her son's ear, hoping he would wake up so she could see his beautiful eyes again. Then, she would know in her heart that he was gonna be alright.

But nothing happened, all was silent. There was no Drake opening his eyes, smile on his face yelling 'Psyche!' letting them know all this had been a prank. Instead the only sound in the room was the reassuring beep coming from the heart monitor.

Suddenly the beeping fastened, and Drake's eyes slowly opened, but were too heavy to keep open. Josh shot off his chair and stood over his brother.

"Drake? Are you awake?" Groaning, Drake tried again, and this time was successful in opening his eyes. Now Audrey sat beside Drake on his bed and stroked his arm, muttering soothing words when she saw the pain in her son's eyes. The beeping sound slowed, and Drake sighed.

"M-Mom…?" He croaked, licking his chapped lips.

"I'm here, baby! I came as soon as I heard what…happened," Tears glistened in Audrey's eyes.

"Josh?" Josh came into Drake's view, "Thanks man." Knowing exactly what his brother was talking about, Josh ducked his head, shrugging. It was around this time that Audrey noticed her daughter missing from the room, and guessed what was wrong.

"I'm going to go check on Megan, I'll leave you two boys alone."

"So…how are you feeling?" Josh asked quietly. Drake tried to shrug but winced in pain.

"Better than I was earlier. I'm seriously thankful you came, or I don't know what would've happened to me because of that psy-" Drake immediately stopped talking when he saw hurt flash in his brother's eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, Josh. I didn't mean that!" But Josh raised his hand, his eyes meeting Drake's.

"Yes, you did. And you have every right to say that. That man that hurt you was not the father I know and love…I don't know _who_ that was, but I am _so_ sorry he hurt you. I should've been there! You should've told me!"

"I wanted to, Josh. But…you love your dad, and I didn't want to hurt you, and I knew you probably wouldn't believe me…"

"Not believe you?" Josh whispered incredulously. "Drake Parker, anything you ever tell me I will believe! We're brothers, man. Understand? Brothers are there for each other; I just wish I could've been there for you," Josh muttered the last part.

"You were there for me, you just didn't know it. Every night I went to sleep knowing that at least one person would stick by me, and that one person was you. I'm sorry I never told you, I honestly thought it would make things worse. But now we can look past that, and move on."

After hearing that, Josh couldn't help himself. He bent down and embraced his brother, being mindful of Drake's ribs. For once, Drake leaned into the embrace. Deep down they both had needed this simple act of love over the past few weeks. Josh was the one to break the hug, a shy smile on his face.

"I'm gonna leave you to get some much need sleep, see ya' later," Josh said.

"See ya'," Drake whispered, and fell back against his pillows, eyes closing.

Josh went out into the waiting room and sat beside his mom and sister. Audrey was reading through a magazine, and Megan was just staring blankly at the wall in front of her. He knew this must've been hard on her. It was hard for all of them to see the teen so broken.

Suddenly the halls erupted in complete chaos. A woman could be heard speaking urgently through the speakers. Josh caught a few words.

Kon…room 319…immediately… 

Josh's eyes widened in shock. Room 319 was…Drake's room. Jumping out of his chair, Josh ran to his brother's room, but bumped into Doctor Kon.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Nichols. You have to wait out here." Josh wanted to respond but Doctor Kon was already rushing into Drake's room, nurses following after him.

Josh's heart was beating frantically against his chest, he could hear it thumping in his ears, as tears made their way into his eyes. Completely numb, he stumbled back to his seat.

Audrey was hugging Megan to her, tears falling from her eyes, as she stared in shock at the room her son lay in. Megan had her head buried in her mother's neck, probably to hide her own tears.

It felt like hours had passed, but in fact it had only been minutes, when finally Doctor Kon stepped out of Drake's room looking very grave. Audrey stood up from where she had sat and rushed to the doctor's side. He looked past her and into Josh's eyes, and slowly shook his head.

_In memory of Andrew Sezonov. Rest in Peace._


	10. Miracles Happen

**A/N: **About the last chapter...Andrew Sezonov was a guy I use to know back at school (I knew him from first through third grade). I found out he had died in a car accident, and he was only fifteen. Gosh, I'm praying for his family. Um...hope you like this chapter! I know it's short, but I wanted it to end the exact way it ended. So...read and review!_

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_Miracles Happen_ - chapter ten

Josh closed his eyes after seeing the doctor's shake of the head, eyes downcast. Josh could feel his heart literally stop, his lungs stopped taking in air, and his whole body was tingling. Audrey had fallen to the floor in a sobbing heap at Kon's feet, crying for the loss of her son. Her _last_ son.

Megan ran to her mother's side, openly crying, shaking her head in disbelief. Audrey put an arm around her daughter, and hugged her close. Staring at the scene before him Josh suddenly felt so alone in the world. His brother was gone. Forever.

For some reason that just didn't feel right. Drake Parker _couldn't_ be dead. It seemed so surreal to think that the annoying-guitar playing-junk food eating-girlaholic teen was simply gone.

Josh ran a shaking hand over his exhausted features, trying his hardest not to give in and cry. Even when he tried to tune out all that was around him, he could still hear his mom and sister sobbing, that alone was enough to make a cold-hearted man cry like a baby. Standing up, the mourning brother knew he had to find out what had happened, what had gone wrong. Doctor Kon was still in Drake's room, watching as the nurses began to remove the IV and breathing tube from Drake. The very things that were _suppose_ to have kept the boy alive.

"W-what happened…" Josh was surprised at how weak his voice sounded.

The doctor shook his head looking baffled. "I came in here to see Mr. Parker in the grasp of a very serious seizure. When we finally had gotten him settled…his heart just stopped. We tried the defibulator hoping to revive the heart, but nothing worked. I'm sorry, Mr. Nichols, there was nothing we could do," Kon said quietly. Josh let the tears flow freely, collapsing in a chair beside his dead brother. The doctor left the room to give Josh some time to say good-bye.

Out in the hall, a nurse had managed to get Audrey into a seat. Megan had cried herself to sleep, still hugging her mom tightly. Doctor Kon sat beside Drake's mom in hopes of calming her down.

Josh had trouble believing Drake was dead. He had _just_ been in there! He had _just_ hugged his brother! And now…. Josh wrapped his arms tightly around himself as he stared at his brother with detached emotion.

Absolutely exhausted, he suddenly felt his body slowly shut down because of everything that had happened in just one day. He felt his eyelids slowly closing, and didn't try to do anything to stop it. Then everything went black as he laid his head down on the bed, taking Drake's cold hand into his own.

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Josh jerked up off the bed. Something had woken him up, but he didn't know what. Letting go of Drake's hand, he rubbed his eyes tiredly. Glancing at his watch he saw that it was five-fifty…he had only been asleep for no more than a minute or so. That's when he realized what had woken him up.

Taking his brother's hand into his own again, he knew it felt different. Before it had been ice cold, now it was warm and he could feel…

'_A heart beat..._'

Josh felt tears fill his eyes again as he started screaming for a doctor, not about to let his brother's hand go. A nurse stepped into the room, and her eyes widened when she saw the teens chest slowly rising and falling.

"D-Doctor Kon!" She yelled, stuttering in amazement.

Kon was immediately at the door, asking her what was wrong. The young nurse hesitantly pointed to Drake. By now a few more people were standing at the door, and gasped when they saw that the teen was in fact breathing again…_alive_ again.

Rushing to Drake's side, Doctor Kon took out his stethoscope, and after a few moments started roaring out orders. "Get an IV back in him! Put a breathing tube in him, the boys barely breathing! Hurry!" Josh just sat there and watched the nurses running around the room, obeying the doctor's orders.

Minutes later, after everything that could be done had been done, the nurses finally left. Kon stayed behind, staring in awe at Drake. He then smiled at Josh and said, "It's a miracle. Nothing but a miracle."

That's when Audrey ran into the room, eyes puffy from crying. She grabbed her son's hand, mindful of the IV, and just held it. Tears began running down her cheeks as she gazed down at her son. She was smiling from ear to ear; Josh had never seen her look so happy.

"I c-can't believe it," She finally whispered, glancing over at Josh.

"Where's Meg?" He asked.

"Let her sleep for now. I'll wake her in a minute," She replied, hugging Drake's hand to her chest. After a few more minutes had passed, Audrey kissed her sons hand, and placed it gently down on the bed. She then stood up to go tell Megan the wonderful news.

"Drake, if you can hear me squeeze my hand," Josh whispered, but nothing happened.

"DRAKE!" Megan shrieked from the doorway. Josh jumped off the chair, falling to the ground. Seconds later she was beside Drake's bed. Josh had never seen this side of his little sister. _Ever_. His eyes looked like they would pop out of his head.

"Megan, shush! Drake's asl-" Josh trailed off when he saw his brother slowly open his eyes. He poured Drake a glass of water when he saw him trying to talk but only making small noises.

Once he had almost finished the glass, Drake closed his eyes, and quietly said, "I saw my brother…"

Josh looked at Drake with a confused expression, "Brother?"

"Megan, can you please leave the room?" Drake croaked.

"But-"

"Megan!" The little girl sighed in aggravation, but eventually nodded and left, muttering under her breath the whole way to the door. He opened his eyes again after he heard the door slam.

"I didn't know you have a brother," Josh mused.

"_Had_. I _had_ a brother, but he died," Drake sighed.

"And…"

"Mom and Megan don't know that."

"Well, how do you know it then?" Josh asked.

Burrowing himself deeper into the surprisingly comfortable hospital bed, Drake turned his head away from where he faced Josh.

"Because I was there when he died…" He mumbled.

"What!" Josh exclaimed, eyes wide open. Drake inwardly rolled his eyes.

"Shhh! Stop yelling!" Josh muttered a quick 'sorry'.

"I really don't want to talk about it…I don't even know why I said anything to begin with. Anyway, what happened while I was asleep? I heard…someone crying, and then Megan screamed my name. It's weird, she almost sounded happy…" Drake trailed off giving Josh a questioning stare.

"Yeah, about that…you sorta er-…died…"

"I…w-what?" Drake stuttered incredulously.

"Died." Josh replied simply.

"I DIED?"


	11. Memories and Epilogue

**Important A/N:** I am so terribly sorry it took so long to get this updated! I seriously had no idea it had been so long! Mainly I had major writers block, and just couldn't think of anything to type. And then I wasn't sure whether or not to keep this story going or end, but to save you all from me taking months to update I have decided that the journey of this story needs to come to a close. I will be writing a sequel soon about Josh. In this final chapter we learn a bit about Josh's past, so my next story will tell you basically his life story just like this story has done for Drake.

I would like to thank all my reviewers; you all have meant the world to me! If it weren't for you, I promise you that this story would never have gotten past the second chapter! You're the best! Thank you for reading this story, even though I don't think it merits attention. But thank you.

Love,  
_Brittney_

* * *

_Memories_ – chapter eleven

Within a week Drake Parker was out of the hospital, and sitting on the couch watching TV. To a passerby the house would seem like just a regular home, but to the ones who lived inside, it was possibly the worst time of their lives. Walter had spent a week in jail, and was being released today. Audrey had put a restraining order against him, and he wasn't allowed anywhere near Drake or any other family members unsupervised. Walter had called a few times begging for Audrey's forgiveness, sometimes even crying, but she didn't give in.

Friday was when Walter was going to court. Drake was dreading it. The young teen had lost his appetite and would just sit around the house constantly thinking. Josh knew what was wrong with his brother, but every time he would try to help, Drake would ask to be left alone.

Megan was also having difficulty dealing with all this drama. It was hard to believe the girl had changed so drastically in such a short time. She no longer played any sort of prank on her brothers; she usually spent her time in her room staring at the wall. Megan thought she had finally gotten the chance to have a father…but now that was taken from her. She cried herself to sleep every night, and tried not to leave her room. Her only sanctuary.

Josh was as depressed as Drake, but he kept himself calm around the family. After all, he had gone through this before, he knew exactly how to hide his feelings.

When he was a young child Walter had lost his job, it was a devastating blow to the whole family. Pretty soon Josh's father couldn't take it anymore, and started staying out late and drinking to help ease his frustration. After awhile the man started coming home drunk out of his mind, and four-year old Josh would ask his dad what was the matter…that's when the beatings started. At first it was just a spanking, but slowly it grew to severe abuse. The drunken father would make his son to tell everyone at pre-school that he had gotten into a fistfight with a friend just incase any teachers became suspicious.

At the time Josh's mom was in rehab trying to get over her drug addiction, so the small boy had learned to take care of himself since both his parents didn't want to take care of him. He would have neighbors take him back and forth from pre-school and then when he got home he would fix himself dinner (a peanut butter and jelly sandwich) and then go to bed.

One day when seven year-old Josh Nichols walked into the small house, he instantly knew something was different. Running all around the home in search of his drunken father, he found the man upstairs crying. Kneeling beside his dad, Josh whispered, "Why are you crying, Daddy?" Walter looked up, tears in his eyes, and hugged his son. It was the first time Josh had ever felt truly loved by his father, and he hugged his dad back.

That day Josh had learned that his mom had snuck drugs into her room at the rehab and had died from an overdose. Crying onto his dad's shoulder, Walter began muttering apologies to his son. He promised he would never drink again. He promised he would never abuse anyone again. He promised he would be the best father he could be.

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Josh laid in his bed thinking about how his father had broken all those promises. Walter had seemed so sincere, but he should've known this would happen again. He should've told Drake about what had happened when he was younger, but he had chickened out.

A tear slid slowly down his face as he curled into himself trying to make the pain go away. The pain his father had caused once again. Josh just couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that his father would even think of hurting Drake. Walter knew how close the boys were, so how could he do this? Deep down, Josh didn't want to go to the trial on Friday. He didn't want to have to look at his father and testify against the man he had known as dad all his life.

A voice calling softly from the doorway, made him open his eyes.

It was Drake.

This was the first time Drake had seen his brother cry, and it was unsettling. Actually, it was beyond unsettling. For Drake, his brother was his lifeline. So to see so much pain in Josh's eyes was disturbing.

Walking over to his brother's bed, Drake sat on the edge of it. "Josh, I'm…sorry this is happening. I wish to God-" But before he could finish, Josh raised his hand.

"Drake, stop apologizing to me, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. It's partially my fault, so I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. I should have told you-" Josh took a deep breath before continuing, "I should have told you that this has happened before." Josh lowered his head in shame, afraid of what Drake would say.

"W-what?" Confusion laced Drake's voice.

Gathering his courage, Josh told his brother about his childhood. Not _everything_, just the parts that he thought mattered. By the time his story came to an end, the teen had tears in his eyes.

"Josh, why didn't you ever tell me this?" The hurt was evident in those words.

"I was afraid of what you might say. I thought you might be ashamed of how weak I was. I couldn't even stop my father," Josh sighed.

A comforting hand rested atop his shoulder and a quiet voice replied, "Josh, I would never think that of you, I would never ever be ashamed of you. You are far from weak; you are so much stronger than I could ever be. You're my brother, and nothing would ever change that," There was a long tension filled silence, and Drake looked away from his brother shyly. Suddenly, arms wrapped tightly around Drake, and he leaned into his brother.

Both boys were utterly exhausted, emotionally. They needed this comfort; they needed this closeness just so both brothers would know that they were there for each other through thick and thin. After a few minutes the teens broke apart, both smiling bashfully. Drake stood up off the bed, and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Thank you," Josh whispered sincerely; Drake nodded his head.

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_Epilogue_

It had been five long months since the day Josh and his brother had testified against their father. Walter had pleaded guilty, and was sentenced sixteen months in jail. The judge had also added that Walter see a therapist every Monday and Friday until the hired therapist thought the man capable of staying sober, and in control of his anger.

Fortunately, when school started, the principle had forbidden any talk of what had happened to Drake over the summer break. But that still didn't stop people from talking about the incident. Even though it brought back painful memories, he had Josh there. He would always have Josh.


End file.
